The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-07-30
A STRANGE ELEPHANT.
its Wonderful Construction and Untimoly
End-A Sad Catastrophe.

IN at the driveway gate boy with
rosy cheeks and the proud conscious
ness that he has not lived in in. He
had been at school, but somehow he
was not coming home as early as might
have been, and he had in his heart
little dread of his aunt Nancy; but she
only looked pleasant, as if she remem-
bered boyhood days of her own, and he
ate his supper and went out to do his
evening work.
But there was something on his
mind. Hitherto he had fed the chick
ems most leisurely, but tonight he pro-
ceeded with such unseemly haste that
they were obliged to swallow each kerr
mel whole; and he filled the wood-box
in twinkling, and drove the COW so
fast that she had no pleasure in liv-
ing. Then prudently emitting to ask
his aunt Nancy if she would like him
to do anything else, he hied
him to the cornfield and selected a
small and gorgeous pumpkin and bore
it to his den-a structure that he had
long before erected in secluded cor
ner of the door-yard fence. Then he
gathered up his aunt ,Nancy's clothes
pole and long stick that leaned against
a plum-tree, and adding them to his
store went up into the attic over the
wood-shed and possessed himself of
two horns that once graced the head of
an ox-dead now and forgotten. These,
with darning-needle and goodly
bunch of Irvine, and later, in the dark
ness, five armfuls of hay, he added to
the general fund, and then, going to
bed, slept the sleep of the well-satisfed.
At school, this Friday afternoon, the
teacher had read aloud to her geogra-
ply class little story of a tiger-hunt in
India, and had shown them picture of
a native, standing in state by the side
of an elephant arrayed in all the
trappings of war. Now this
elephant had taken firm
hold of Willie, the boy going home to
the farmhouse, and the moment school
was dismissed he gathered together
four of his school-mates, and taking
them off to the beech-tree by the road
side, unfolded to them a magnificent
plan.
Tomorrow would be Saturday, he
said, and Aunt Nancy was going away,
and wou dn't be back till dark, and
the boys must come over to his house,
and they would make an elephant.
Not real fesh-and-blood elephant, he
was pleased to explain, but something
that should look like one, and that
could climb trees. He had been think
ing about it ever since the geography
class recited, he said, and he knew just
how to do tall but the head; he
couldn't think of any way to make the
head.
The boys accepted the invit ton, but
they sat so long building in fancy the
wondrous beast, that as Willie went w
the driveway his shadow lay out long
behind him, drawn by the setting SUM-
On Saturday mornings Willie might
sleep as long as he liked, but this Sat
urday morning he arose betimes, anc
began to wait for the afternoon. i
camel am told that all things come
to him who waits-and Aunt Nancy
went away for her visit. Willie, finish
ing his last after-dinner task, saw tn,
boys coming in at the gate. He wen
to meet them, and forthwith the ele
plant was in the midst of being pre-
pared.
They made his body first, laying VIII
lies two poles parallel and some tire
feet apart, and resting them at one enC
on board of the fence and at the 9th
er on a saw-horse. Then they lai'
across them some shorter sticks, ant
upon these just hay enough to max
him look well fed and respectable, ant
covered him over with Aunt Nancy
brown blanket, which made for him
worthy and durable skin. Then at tn
front of him they placed an ox-horn OIL
the end of each pole; but h
looked too broad-chested, and the,
drew those ends of the pole
nearer together, COMPRISING hi
lungs, l fear. Besides tn
clothes-pole branched out at the en-
into two prongs, so that one of tn
horns turned off sidewise, making tn
P or creature look cross-eyed;
This part of him was simple, but tn
head required thought Willie ha
spent seepless hours that forenoo
p aiming it, and now he drew out int
view phosphate sack. A phosphat
sack carries an odious smell, but th
hovs slid thew did rot mind a trihe lik